About Practices of Making

Practices of Making is an exhibition linked to the Culture and Conflict project funded by the UKRI Gender Justice and Security Hub, Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) that features a curated collection of craft practices. This research was carried out by Laajverd in Upper Chitral Valley, by Paiman in Charsadda and Swat, by Association of War Affected Women (AWAW) in Batticaloa and Mannar, by Women for Peace and Participation (WPP) in Kabul and Kandahar, and by Yakjah in Jammu and Kashmir.

While the project looks at the craftperson and the value of culture in their lives, this exhibit looks at the story of the craft that is made up of time, matter and motivation. It looks at craft as a living thing. A living thing that has several makers within its creative process. This exhibit revisits the relationship between the tools, material, the land, and the hand who makes it while also arguing for each being an actor with agency and all woven together in their context. It removes the focus from the individual which is the craftsperson and places it in the relation between the actors.